23 January 2010 - Morning Manna

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

Today’s Morsel: How much time do you spend in prayer? Jesus and the apostle Paul, along with the prophet Daniel, seemed to be men of strong prayer. Prayer is the glue that holds spiritual things together in your life. Even when we are commanded to put on the whole armor of God, Paul ends by saying, pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. He told Timothy, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Jesus said that we should pray so that we will not enter into temptation. Prayer connects us to Jesus and helps us by preventing us from falling into temptation. Prayer can protect us from falling into the temptations of buying things that we really don’t need, going into places we shouldn’t go, doing things that we really shouldn’t do, or saying things that we really shouldn’t say. If you are a person that seems to want, or feel you need to purchase everything that you see, you might want to check your prayer life, as you may have a problem with lust, which is an offspring of temptation. It may not seem like it is, but many people are distressed, in debt, discontent, divorced, homeless, and even suicidal because theyhave allowed temptation to overpower them, which began with the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh. Your flesh is weak Jesus said. But you can take that same flesh and turn it around and make it strong for Christ through much prayer and a strong relationship with Him. So let me encourage you today, keep you prayer life intact so that temptation doesn’t get a foothold. If the enemy of your soul can get a foothold into your life, he will bring the next foot through your door and wreck everything in your life.

Sing: Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father’s throne, make all my wants and wishes known; in seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief, and often escaped the tempter’s snare, by thy return sweet hour of prayer.